ABSTRACT
It is well known that there are strong interrelations between the ecclesiastical and the temporal powers. Cooperation and rivalry are the main characteristics of this relationship. Church and state depended on concepts of political theories which are applicable to both systems. The hierarchical system established by the church was until the high middle ages far more sophisticated than that of any temporal rule. A strong hierarchy of offices and competencies, with their corresponding territorial framework, had been established. The system was directed by its head, endowed with the highest degree of authority and power. The relations between ecclesiastical persons and institutions were ruled by the norms of canon law. To be sure, very often this ideal was not attained, but the exercise of administration, jurisdiction and power was nevertheless bound by legal norms and legitimated by religious prestige.1
